Of all the things to look forward to post-vaccine, commuting might not be on the top of the list. But despite grand promises of a work-from-home forever, white-collar workers who went remote when the coronavirus crisis began could be back at their desks starting in June, joining the essential workers that have been trekking to their jobs through emptier streets and tunnels.
To make the journey into the physical office more enticing for everyone, some employers will be adding a new benefit to the mix: micromobility dollars.
Lime, the shared bike and scooter company, announced a new partnership with one of the largest commuter benefits providers in the US, Edenred Benefits. Starting this week, all 10,000 employers that use Edenred’s commuter benefits system will have an option to subsidize micromobility trips for the more than 10 million employees they cover.
It’s a perk that could help shift some rush hour travelers out of single-passenger vehicles and into greener modes. But the pandemic has dramatically scrambled the getting-to-work picture in US cities. As of June, a Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research study found that 42% of Americans were working from home full time, with another 33% not working at all. Bus ridership remains depressed, but less so than modes like commuter rail, which serves more office-bound professionals. All major cities saw vehicle miles travelled plummet to record lows, even as car ownership rates revved up. And there’s still great uncertainty about whether life after Covid will include a commute at all for many of those who once regularly trekked to offices.